Partnership for Public Service statement on reports of new Harris transition team lead

August 20, 2024

WASHINGTON – The nonpartisan, nonprofit Partnership for Public Service today released the following statement from President and CEO Max Stier in response to multiple news reports that Vice President Kamala Harris has selected Yohannes Abraham to lead her presidential transition team:

“Vice President Kamala Harris has taken a critical first step in naming Yohannes Abraham to lead her presidential transition planning team. Abraham, now serving as U.S. ambassador to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, is deeply experienced in transition planning, having served as the executive director in the model 2020 Biden-Harris transition. The stakes for transition planning are extremely high, especially for our national security, and both Harris and former President Donald Trump should prepare vigorously now to be ready for the complex task of governance.

“With a shorter timeline as her party’s presumptive nominee, Harris has been delayed in starting this process, which historically has begun in the spring of an election year. While she would inherit a functioning and a familiar administration if she is victorious, the scale and scope of the transition requirements remain vast – especially because of the likely very high incumbent appointee turnover.

“On Aug. 27, the General Services Administration will offer federal transition planning support to Trump and Harris. These resources are meaningful, and regardless of whether or not the candidates accept them, both candidates should abide by the funding limit and disclosure requirements.”  

Max Stier and Valerie Smith Boyd, the director of the Center for Presidential Transition,^® will host a media briefing call on Monday, Aug. 26, at 3:30 p.m. ET. To register and receive access information, please email Enzo Benoit at ebenoit@ourpublicservice.org.

The Partnership for Public Service’s Center for Presidential Transition^® serves as the premier nonpartisan source of information and resources to help presidential candidates and their teams lay the groundwork for a new administration or for a president’s second term. The Center provides critical assistance on how to organize and execute a transition, helps agency career executives prepare for new political leadership, offers guidance to political appointees on the unique aspects of government leadership and engages with Congress to promote transition reforms. Our resources include: 

• Presidential Transition Guide – The fifth edition of the Presidential Transition Guide, released in 2023, covers the major activities of a transition for non-incumbent presidential candidates and their top campaign and transition staff, as well as the role of the incumbent administration in supporting transition efforts to prepare for a possible turnover.
• Agency Transition Guide – This guide helps career officials build well-organized internal transition teams to provide incoming senior leaders with critical information about agency policies, operations, budgets and personnel.
• Second-Term Planning Guide – Produced in partnership with the Boston Consulting Group, this new resource provides recommendations to White House incumbents to harness their first-term achievements and set the stage for new progress.
• Transition Lab – The Center’s podcast explores issues surrounding transitions, talks to veterans of past transitions and illuminates what it takes to be ready to govern.
• The Center’s online platform, presidentialtransition.org, contains an extensive collection of historical documents from previous presidential transitions and additional guidance such as appointee position descriptions and templates for transition materials.

During the past 22 years, the nonpartisan, nonprofit Partnership for Public Service has been dedicated to building a better government and a stronger democracy. We work across administrations to help transform the way government works by providing agencies with the data insights they need to succeed, developing effective leaders, inspiring the next generation to public service, facilitating smooth presidential transitions and recognizing exceptional federal employees. Visit ourpublicservice.org, follow us @PublicService and subscribe today to get the latest federal news, information on upcoming Partnership programs and events, and more.  

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